UK prime minister hits out at Trump over claim NATO troops stayed off Afghan front lines

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday condemned as “insulting” President Donald Trump’s assertion that troops from NATO allies stayed away from the front lines in Afghanistan, as anger mounted in Britain over the US president’s remarks.

In an interview with Fox News aired on Thursday, Trump appeared unaware that 457 British soldiers were among NATO personnel killed during the Afghanistan conflict that followed the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

“They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan,” Trump said, referring to NATO allies. “And they did — they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines,” he added, sparking outrage across the UK political spectrum.

Trump also repeated his claim that NATO would not come to the United States’ aid if called upon.

In reality, after the 9/11 attacks the UK and several European countries joined the US in Afghanistan when Washington invoked NATO’s collective defence clause — for the first and only time in the alliance’s history. Troops from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark and other countries also lost their lives in the conflict.

“Let me begin by paying tribute to the 457 members of our armed forces who lost their lives in Afghanistan,” Starmer said in a video message. “Many more were injured, some with life-changing consequences. I find President Trump’s remarks insulting and frankly appalling, and it is no surprise they have caused such pain to the families of those killed or wounded.”

He added that if he had made such comments himself, he “would certainly apologise”.

The White House dismissed Starmer’s criticism and defended the president.
“President Trump is absolutely right — the United States has done more for NATO than any other country in the alliance combined,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement to AFP.

‘Heroes’

Poland’s Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said he expected respect for Polish veterans “who proved their commitment to our country and our allies”. Poland lost 43 soldiers in Afghanistan.

French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said 90 French troops died in operations alongside NATO allies, with many others wounded. “We remember their sacrifice, which deserves respect,” she said.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey wrote on X that the British troops who died were “heroes who gave their lives in service to our nation”. Armed Forces Minister Al Carns, who completed five tours in Afghanistan, described Trump’s remarks as “utterly ridiculous”.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the comments were “complete nonsense” that risked undermining the NATO alliance.

Even Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party and a long-time supporter of Trump, criticised the US president. “Donald Trump is wrong,” he wrote on X. “For 20 years our armed forces fought bravely alongside America’s in Afghanistan.”

Lucy Aldridge, whose 18-year-old son William was killed in Afghanistan, told The Mirror that Trump’s remarks were “extremely upsetting”.

Mark Atkinson, director general of veterans’ charity the Royal British Legion, said the service and sacrifice of British troops in Afghanistan “cannot be questioned”.

Prince Harry, who served two frontline tours in Afghanistan with the Army Air Corps, also responded. “I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there,” he said. “Thousands of lives were changed forever. Those sacrifices must be spoken about truthfully and with respect.”

Official UK figures show that 405 of the 457 British personnel who died in Afghanistan were killed in hostile action. The United States reportedly lost more than 2,400 soldiers.

More than 150,000 UK service personnel served in Afghanistan between September 2001 and August 2021, according to the Ministry of Defence, making Britain the second-largest contributor to the US-led mission.